Black Women Research Articles

Associations between use of chemical hair products and epigenetic age: Findings from the Sister Study

Background: Hair products may be a source of harmful chemicals and have been linked to age-related health outcomes. We investigated whether the use of hair products is related to epigenetic age in a sample of Black (both Hispanic and non-Hispanic) and non-Hispanic White women. Methods: In a subset of 4358 participants aged 35–74 years from the Sister Study, we estimated cross-sectional associations between self-reported use of four chemical hair products (permanent dye, semipermanent dye, straighteners/relaxers, and hair permanents/body waves) in the year before enrollment (2003–2009) and three DNA methylation-based measures of epigenetic age (DunedinPACE, GrimAge age acceleration [GrimAgeAccel], and PhenoAge age acceleration [PhenoAgeAccel]) using survey-weighted multivariable linear regressions. Associations were estimated both overall and by self-identified race and ethnicity, adjusting for chronological age, socioeconomic and lifestyle factors, body mass index, menopausal status, and DNA methylation platform. Results: Associations between the use of hair products and the three epigenetic age measures were largely null. Use of hair permanents/body waves was modestly associated with higher DunedinPACE among all participants (β ever-never = 0.010; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.001, 0.019) and with lower PhenoAgeAccel among Black women (β ever-never = −1.53; 95% CI = −2.84, −0.21). Conclusion: In this US-based study, we found little evidence of associations between chemical hair product use and epigenetic age in Black and non-Hispanic White women. Observed associations were modest and largely not supported by dose–response relationships or were inconsistent across epigenetic age measures. Previously observed associations between chemical hair product use and aging-related health outcomes may not be explained by the biological aging pathways captured by DunedinPACE, GrimAgeAccel, or PhenoAgeAccel. Alternative biological pathways are worth investigating in racially diverse samples.

Gender Stratification, Racial Disparities, and Student Debt Trajectories in the United States

In the United States, post-secondary educational outcomes are stratified by gender, with women attending college and completing their degrees at higher rates. At the same time, student loan debt has become an ubiquitous part of the college process for many pursuing higher education, increasing the financial risks associated with the pursuit of higher education while lessening the financial rewards. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 (NLSY97) of young adults who ever attended a post-secondary institution and growth curve models, we estimate gender disparities in student debt trajectories throughout young adulthood. Building on work on the racialization of the student debt landscape (Houle & Addo 2022), we also investigate the intersection of race and gender, and include both within race gender analyses and within gender racial analyses. Gender differences in student debt at baseline, or at the age of first college enrollment, are large and the gender debt gap grows at 1.2% per year. We document evidence of a curvilinear relationship in student debt in young adulthood, with student debt accumulating at the beginning of the college enrollment period and the rate of increase declining over time as adults age. Women, who start the period with larger amounts of student debt, experience faster growth in their debt accumulation followed by lower declines relative to young adult men. These patterns are magnified among Black young adults, with the gender debt disparity between Black women and Black men growing 3.4% annually. We find no association between gender and student debt trajectories among Latinx and White young adults. Within-gender models highlight the prevalence of the student debt crisis among Black women and Black men. Additional analyses suggest gender differences in debt trajectories are a function of postsecondary and young adult socioeconomic characteristics, reflecting broader societal inequalities that stem from structural elements related to post-secondary schooling and economic status. These patterns may inhibit wealth-building among women and Black adults in the United States.

Progress towards achieving national goals for improved quality of life among cis-gender Black women with HIV.

Data from the CDC's Medical Monitoring Project indicate that the United States is on track to meet one of five National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) Quality of Life goals among cisgender Black women, specifically, hunger/food insecurity. Substantial work needs to be done to improve self-rated health and to decrease unmet need for mental health services. Enhanced and coordinated action are necessary to reach all Quality of Life goals in this NHAS priority population.

Reframing the experience of childbirth: Black doula communication strategies and client responses during delivery hospitalization

Doulas, or birth coaches, are said to be “changing the world, one birth at a time.” Black doulas have been suggested to mitigate against lack of representation in obstetric care, limited identity acknowledgement and accommodation, and obstetric racism. However, scientific inquiry into the specific communication strategies and messages used by Black doulas to advocate for clients was non-existent in extant literature. Guided by the Agency-Identity Model, we analyzed 20 diary-interviews of nine Black doulas who recently served Black clients. Specifically, we explored Black doulas’ communication strategies and whether these strategies had an impact on client agency. We found that Black doulas prepare their clients for patient-provider interactions, including conversations about certain medical treatments and procedures and the risks for Black women and birthing people, the importance of informed consent, how to be heard, and how to resist neglect or abuse. We found that, in turn, most Black clients were able to enact agentic responses. We describe the specific doula messages, and contextualize our findings, considering how these collective interpersonal communication strategies of Black doulas, and their clients’ agentic transformations, may index a sociopolitical movement to reframe the experience of childbirth in America.

Postapartheid Anti-blackness in Kopano Matlwa's Coconut

ABSTRACT: This paper reads Kopano Matlwa's debut novel, Coconut , as a critical reflection on the incomplete work of social, economic, and juridical inclusion. It outlines inconclusive episodes in the lives of two young black women: Ofilwe, a member of a rarified upper middle class, and Fikile, ensnared in grinding poverty. Drawing on Denise Ferreira Da Silva and Calvin Warren, the paper shows how Matlwa addresses the uncritical embrace of this racist and historically oppressive discourse among nominally free blacks, both among enduringly destitute slum dwellers and the emergent nouveau riche. In the novel, social death comes in the form of internalized anti-blackness as the two young black women featured in the novel doggedly pursue white identities as a means for successful existence in postapartheid South Africa.

Como gênero e raça estruturam o sistema prisional: Diálogos com Angela Davis sobre racismo e sexismo no controle punitivo brasileiro

Abstract We present an analysis of the phenomenon of female incarceration in Brazil, placing it as a concrete determination of the capitalist mode of production. We start from the issue of how the categories of gender and race act as structural elements of Brazilian penal control, based on the reading proposed by Angela Davis, in dialogue with authors of Brazilian feminist. For this reason, initially, we will promote initial debates about oppression as structures of social relations in capitalism. Subsequently, it will be necessary to discuss the oppression of gender and race in the Brazilian context, especially considering the overload of reproductive, invisible, and precarious work. Finally, we will analyze the consolidation of Brazilian punitive control as an instrument for the management of disposable bodies and the constant production and reproduction of racism and sexism in Brazilian culture. We will use materialistic analysis as a methodology, with the critical interpellation (ana-dialectical moment of the method) through the critical analytical, theoretical framework of the black feminism theory. With the formulations, we can conclude, in short, that the violent and racist management of the penal system maintains a solid Brazilian social structure, subjecting the bodies of black women to the harder process of vulnerability imposed by punitive state control.

A Systematic Narrative Review of Recent Obesity Interventions with Black Women in the United States.

This study is to comprehensively review recent obesity interventions for Black women in the United States. We searched PubMed and EBSCOhost for articles published between 2013 and 2022 using a comprehensive search strategy. Two reviewers screened titles, abstracts, and full texts. Data from the included articles were extracted.Qualitative themes related to the intervention designs were identified across studies. Fifty-two studies were included in the review. Interventions typically aimed to reduce weight by targeting diet and/or physical activity. Intervention activities were delivered virtually and in-person via several formats including didactic content and interactive sessions. Outcomes were assessed through a variety of research designs. Across papers, we identified six key themes of intervention design: integration of technology, centering community and culture, personalization of content, use of social support, skill-building through intervention activities, and addressing comorbid health conditions. To address the obesity epidemic, future research can build upon key lessons learned from recent interventions tailored to Black women.

Addressing Equity and Justice in Age-Friendly Communities: Considerations for LGBTQ+ Older Adults of Color.

This research critically examined the concept of age-friendliness from the perspectives of older Black lesbian women living in New York City (NYC). The primary aim was to extend existing age-friendly frameworks to more inclusively meet the needs of older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer adults of color, promoting greater equity and justice. Applying principles from critical participatory action research, we collected and analyzed data from five focus groups consisting of five older Black lesbian women. Participants shared their daily experiences living in NYC and proposed ideas to enhance the age-friendliness of the city to better accommodate their unique needs and experiences. Participants called for greater attention to the interaction between identities and structures in relation to age-friendly communities. Historic and contemporary experiences of violence and discrimination, as well as the ever-shifting political context was identified as a key factor shaping their aging experiences. The need for affirming spaces with positive representation of their layered identities was emphasized in the context of age-friendly interventions. While dominant age-friendly frameworks are universally accepted for improving the health and well-being of older adults, the specific challenges of aging with multiple intersecting marginalized identities necessitate a critical perspective. Gerontology needs to take seriously how privilege and oppression operate within society, shaping health and aging trajectories of vulnerable and underserved populations.

Motherhood, wet-nursing and nation: nineteenth-century Brazilian medical perspectives

This paper explores the viewpoints of nineteenth-century Brazilian physicians regarding women’s roles as the ‘propagators of the race’. It emphasises their perspectives on reproduction, breast feeding, and the involvement of...

The Relationship Between Intimate Partner Violence, Depression, Alcohol Abuse in Black and Hispanic Women.

The relationship between intimate partner violence (IPV), depression, and risky alcohol use is complex and multi-dimensional. Depression has been documented as a common consequence of experiencing IPV, where depressed individuals might turn to substances like alcohol as a coping mechanism. Thus, assessing the indirect effect of depression in the relationship between IPV and alcohol abuse in African American and Hispanic women is warranted. Cross-sectional data was collected from 152 African American and Hispanic women living in Miami, Florida. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and Hayes' direct and indirect mediation analyses were conducted. A total of 77% reported IPV. The mean age was 42.84 (SD = 10.69). About 57% of participants identified as African American, and 62% identified as Hispanic/Latino. On average, participant depression scores (8.6, SD = 5.7) showed mild-to-moderate severity, and the average alcohol abuse score was 15.5 (±8.9), suggesting risky alcohol use. IPV was directly associated with alcohol abuse (β = .50, 95% CI [.18, .82]; [R2 = .059, F(1, 150) = 9.37, p < .001), and with depression (β = .48, 95% CI [.27, .69]; [R2 = .119, F(1, 150) = 20.43, p < .001). Depression modified the effect of IPV on alcohol abuse by about 19% (β = .56, 95% CI [.33, .80]; [R2 = .185, F(2, 149) = 16.87, p < .0026). Results of this study suggest that depression is an important component to be considered when addressing alcohol abuse among women with experiences of IPV. This study highlights the importance of assessing women who report IPV for depressive symptoms when treating alcohol use disorders.

Assessing Glycosylated Hemoglobin Thresholds for Development of Cardiovascular Disease by Racial and Ethnic Groups.

Diabetes is the strongest risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and although glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels are known to vary by race, no racial and ethnic-specific diagnostic thresholds exist for diabetes in prediction of cardiovascular disease events. The purpose of this study is to determine whether HbA1c thresholds for predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) differ among racial and ethnic groups. This is a retrospective cohort study of Kaiser Permanente Northern California adult members (n=309 636) with no history of cardiovascular disease who had HbA1c values and race and ethnicity data available between 2014 and 2019. Multivariable logistic regression was used to evaluate the odds of MACEs by the following racial and ethnic groups: Filipino, South Asian, East Asian, Black, White, and Hispanic. A Youden index was used to calculate HbA1c thresholds for MACE prediction by each racial and ethnic group, stratified by sex. Among studied racial and ethnic groups, South Asian race was associated with the greatest odds of MACEs (1.641 [95% CI, 1.456-1.843]; P<0.0001). HbA1c was a positive predictor for MACEs, with an odds ratio of 1.024 (95% CI, 1.022-1.025) for each 0.1% increment increase in HbA1c. HbA1c values varied between 6.0% and 7.6% in MACE prediction by race and ethnicity and sex. White individuals, South Asian individuals, East Asian women, and Black men had HbA1c thresholds for MACE prediction in the prediabetic range, between 6.0% and 6.2%. Black women, Hispanic men, and East Asian men had HbA1c thresholds of 6.2% to 6.6%, less than the typical threshold of 7.0% that is used as a treatment goal. Findings suggest that the use of race and ethnic- and sex-specific HbA1c thresholds may need to be considered in treatment goals and cardiovascular disease risk estimation.

Resisting Marginalisation in the Select Short Stories of Bessie Head

The African black woman is said to suffer from double marginalisation –marginalized by colonialism and by patriarchy. Bessie Head, one of the most influential authors of South Africa, voices the marginalization faced by the women of her country. In her works, she narrates the tales of underprivileged village women and their predicament to exist as mere humans in their own society and among their own people. Though she does not consider herself a feminist, her protagonists are always females and they become the mouthpiece of the entire subjugated section of the society. Head’s short stories depict the breakdown of traditional structures of the society and also the erosion of security that the institution of marriage offered to the women. This paper is an attempt to study two of her short stories to highlight the suffering of her protagonists and also how they overcome them and present a new image of themselves.

Centering Black Women’s Voices: Illuminating Systemic Racism in Maternal Healthcare Experiences

The racial disparity in Black maternal healthcare outcomes in the U.S. reflects the devastating impact of systemic racism embedded within the healthcare system. This study addresses Black maternal health by centering Black women’s perspectives to illuminate how systemic barriers, racism, and unequal care manifest in their maternal health experiences. We conducted six focus group discussions with 27 Black women in Harris County, Texas, an area with an alarmingly high Black maternal mortality rate. The analysis revealed three main themes: (1) institutional barriers to equitable maternal care, (2) inequitable clinical care and provider–patient interactions, and (3) navigating experiences of everyday interpersonal racism. The women’s narratives provide insights into how systemic factors such as racism and unjust policies compromise the pursuit of optimal maternal care. By centering their situated knowledge, we can understand and develop solutions that emerge directly from the lived realities of this community.

Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Postpartum Depressive Symptoms Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: Existing evidence regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on postpartum mental health is mixed, with disparate studies showing increased, stable, or even reduced risk of postpartum depression (PPD) amid the pandemic. Furthermore, although it is plausible that the pandemic impacted the mental health of mothers from vulnerable and underserved communities differentially, few studies have characterized racial and ethnic differences in the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PPD. Materials and Methods: Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System data for 2018-2019 (pre-pandemic period) and 2020 (peri-pandemic period) from 40 sites (n = 110,779, representing 5,485,137 postpartum women) were used to determine whether rates of PPD changed during the first year of the pandemic. Postpartum depressive symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire 2-item. Average marginal effects and contrasts of predictive margins derived from a multivariable logistic regression model were used to compare the risk of PPD before and during the pandemic in the overall sample and across racial/ethnic subgroups. Results: Adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, we found that the overall risk for PPD remained stable (0.0 percentage points [pp]; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.7, 0.6 pp) in the first year of the pandemic. We detected no statistically significant changes in risk for PPD across seven of eight racial/ethnic groups considered; however, the risk of PPD among non-Hispanic Black women fell by 2.0 pp (95% CI: -3.5, -0.4 pp) relative to the pre-pandemic period. Conclusion: We identified important subgroup differences in pandemic-related changes in risk for PPD.

Unveiling Hidden Battles: Exploring the Link Between Breast Cancer Survival and Heart Failure Vulnerability.

This study explores the link between a history of breast cancer and the vulnerability to heart failure. Analyzing data from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) for women diagnosed with breast cancer between 2016 and 2019 in the US, our research utilized logistic regression, adjusting for demographics, comorbidities, and lifestyle factors, and employed propensity score matching. With 2,276,639 weighted cases, our findings reveal a slight but significant elevation in heart failure risk among the breast cancer cohort, specifically in acute, chronic, and isolated systolic heart failure types. Racial differences were pronounced; Black women with breast cancer showed higher risks for all heart failure types, particularly chronic and systolic, while Asian or Pacific Islander patients had a lower incidence of certain heart failure types. This research underscores a modest increase in heart failure risk post-breast cancer, highlighting the critical need for integrated cardio-oncology care and personalized healthcare approaches to address and mitigate this risk effectively.

This is Our Home: Slavery and Struggle on Southern Plantations

A poignant examination of Black homemaking in the face of enslavement, This is Our Home explores the unconventional methods in which Black men and women retained personhood on plantations by way of prescribing meaning to places meant to oppress.

Firearm Violence Exposure and Functional Disability among Black Men and Women in the United States.

This study investigates the relationship between firearm violence exposure and functional health among Black adults in the United States(US). We examined associations between different forms of firearm violence exposure (direct, indirect, and community) and functional health with particular attention to differences across sex groups. We used survey data from a nationally representative sample of 3015 Black adult Americans to analyze associations between types of firearm violence exposure and four aspects of functional disability including: the ability to concentrate, walk/use stairs, dress/bathe, and run errands among males and females. The findings indicate notable disparities in exposure and health outcomes based on theexposure type and cumulative exposure to violence. Among males, functional disability was associated most closely with community violence exposure, while direct threats of firearm violence were most consequential for functional health among females. High cumulative exposure to firearm violence was linked to significant risks to functional health, particularly among females. The results shed light on sex differences in the repercussions of firearm violence exposure and emphasize its implications for daily functioning and health. This study contributes to the understanding of the multifaceted impacts of firearm violence on functional well-being and highlights the need for inclusive and culturally sensitive healing approaches based in community settings. There is a critical need for heightened awareness and strategies to enhance the well-being of those disproportionately affected by firearm violence in the US.

Whose Streets? Our Streets! . . . or Maybe Not? Legitimizing Racialized Gendered Policing in Modern Cities

“Whose streets? Our streets!” This special forum centered on The Streets Belong to Us: Sex, Race, and Police Power from Segregation to Gentrification conjures this popular urban protest chant that may (or may not) be familiar to many readers. While the response—“our streets!”—is forceful, it is far from a clear-cut truism or uncomplicated declaration. Herein, Fischer and five interlocutors discuss the historical and spatial complexities regarding who has a right to define, navigate, and regulate urban spaces. They take up the questions—to whom do the streets belong—by considering regimes of police power at the nexus of sex, moral reform, and so-called “troublesome” terrains in three twentieth-century U.S. cities. They also engage how, as Fischer states, law-enforcement practices of sexual policing decriminalized white womanhood while criminalizing Black womanhood, and thereby expanded police authority, racialized gendered state violence, carceral feminism, gentrification, and spatialized racial and economic inequalities.

Centering Women of Color: Chronic Vulvovaginal Pain (CVVP) Communication

Background: Black and white women describe their chronic vulvar pain (CVVP) symptoms differently, indicating a patient–provider communication deficit. This may contribute to the diagnostic delay commonly reported by patients with CVVP and/or pelvic pain. Methods: A pilot study demonstrated CVVP terminology differences between women of color and white women. The present study (N = 488) includes a sample of predominantly cisgender women who identified their race/ethnicity as Black, Hispanic/Latinx, Native American/American Indian, and/or Asian. Participants reported how they describe their CVVP, their healthcare experiences, and characteristics of their diagnostic journey. Results: Descriptions of CVVP were not uniform. Instead, there was great variability in how women described their pain across racial/ethnic identities and pain contexts (e.g., sexual activity, menstrual product use, and pelvic exam). Some pain experiences and descriptors were associated with healthcare outcomes related to diagnostic delay. Conclusions: This study sheds light on the pain communication experiences of women of color with CVVP, an understudied population within the broader CVVP literature. By resisting white and non-white comparative methodologies, this study demonstrates the applicability of intersectionality principles to the study of CVVP and contributes to the existing literature regarding pain communication, race, and ethnicity.

Risk factors of substance use treatment gaps among a nationally representative sample of black American adults in relation to sexual minority status and health insurance coverage

BackgroundLittle research has investigated predictors of specialty substance use treatment gaps among Black adults. This study examined differential odds of experiencing self-reported, past-year treatment gaps among Black adults with respect to sexual minority status and health insurance coverage, accounting for social cofactors.MethodThis cross-sectional study comprised 36,098 Black Americans aged 18 and older who completed the 2015–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and provided responses for all selected survey items. Design-based multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine predictors of drug and alcohol treatment gaps.ResultsSexual minority Black adults reported greater odds of experiencing treatment gaps to specialty treatment (i.e., inpatient hospital, inpatient/outpatient rehabilitation facility, or mental health center) compared to Black heterosexuals in adjusted models (Gay or lesbian: AOR = 2.01, 95% CI = 1.39–2.89; Bisexual: AOR = 2.35, 95% CI = 1.77–3.12), with bisexual Black women experiencing the greatest odds (AOR = 3.10, 95% CI = 2.33–4.14). Black adults with no health insurance were significantly more likely to report substance use treatment gaps relative to their peers with health insurance coverage (AOR = 50, 95% CI = 1.26–1.78).ConclusionThe results suggest a critical need for more investigations into patterns of specialty substance use treatment gaps within Black populations and for developing sexual identity-affirming mechanisms for closing the disparity gap, particularly for Black sexual minorities and those who lack health insurance coverage.